New rules in the house

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And that new rule is "No more muddy bikes!" We have a water hose, time to put it use and keep the bikes clean. The rule was put in place following my first ride on the Era since the race. I knew I'd put the bike through the ringer at Old Pueblo. Between the layers of mud and having to ride single speed for most of one lap, the bike was in bad shape. We'd cleaned it up and done some maintenance to make sure the bike was ridable. I took that bike out for a ride after we got home. Well, it's a good thing that I decided to just switch bikes in the middle of the race. Not five minutes from home, at the stop light on 8th street, I shifted into a harder gear and stood up to sprint for the light. And clunk - snap! The chain broke - the first time I have ever broken a chain! (Knock on wood - the last time, too.)

Nick had me fix the chain (and it was really grimy) and off we went to enjoy our ride. I can do a good job of fixing a chain - but  it's not something I would want to do at 2:30am in the cold, wet darkness. I do need to practice some of the maintenance skills a little more. Proficient is good, but not idea under a stressful situation where every minute matters. So into the garage when we got back for a thorough cleaning and minor overhaul for the Era. We cleaned everything, inspected tires, wheels, cassette, chain rings and chain. And everything is ready to go now, the Era is a happy, clean and fast bike. As long as I keep it clean!

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